DIY Spectrometry Kit

Today I made my own spectrometer.  I heard about the Desktop Spectrometry Kit from Public Lab and had to give it a try. Here is a picture of the pieces that came in the kit which you can buy for $40.

All I needed to complete the kit was scissors, a phillips head screwdriver, and a knife.   It was relatively easy to build.  For me, the most difficult part was prying open the webcam in Step 3.  Although once i got the right tool (a knife!) it was really easy.  This is a picture of everything set up inside before I closed it up.

It worked right away without any issues.  This is a spectrum from a Compact Flourescent Lightbulb in my house.  They have you do that first to calibrate the system.  

I also took one of a Red LED to see what it would look like.

 I look forward to finding new samples to study.  They even have a Spectral Challenge where they are calling on makers, hackers, and DIYers worldwide to tackle real-world environmental problems using low cost, open source spectrometry.